Get Organized: 6 Efficient Steps to Manage Healthcare Documents

Quick retrieval of documents is critical for the provision of efficient healthcare services. In paper form, searching for a particular file is sometimes akin to searching for a pin in a haystack.

This could potentially be a matter of life and death; especially at a healthcare centre where patients’ records are critical for appropriate treatment. The solution is setting up a digital document storage and retrieval system for accurate search and retrieval of digitized documents.

Digitizing paper documents involves scanning and processing them. The scanning process is the first in an elaborate process of converting piles of paper records into digital documents to be stored in a database for quick and easy retrieval. However, it is best to leave the task of digitizing medical documents to professionals with experience in medical documents scanning. To digitize your medical records, the following steps are necessary.

1. Make the Decision?

Everything starts with a decision. It’s easy to get used to the same old way of doing things to the point where change becomes uncomfortable. However, if looking for crucial patients’ records takes forever, or records keep getting lost, you need a better method of storage and retrieval. Besides, accurate document retrieval is key to providing the appropriate line of treatment. A decision to scan your medical records means eliminating the risk of lost and damaged records.

2. Brief the Account Managers

Now that you have made the decision to scan medical records, the next step involves meeting with the account managers. Make sure they understand the goal of the healthcare facility, especially how efficient storage and retrieval of records contributes to the overall objective of the clinic.

Once they understand the crucial role an efficient document storage and retrieval system plays in your healthcare facility, get them to develop a document storage system that is tailored to your clinic. Ask any question you may have before the process proceeds.

3. Documents Transportation

This stage involves transporting documents to a secure facility to be prepared for scanning by qualified staff.

4. The Scanning Process

The scanning stage is the most important in the digitization process. Use the latest scanning hardware for better results. Ideally, it should scan at speeds of at least 120 pages per minute. Besides scanning speed, the scanned images should be of the right quality. The aim of scanning documents is to access and read them. If you can’t make out the details on the scanned image, it is not useful to anyone. Always ensure the resolution of the images is sharp, crisp, and legible.

5. Touch Up the Images

Once you have scanned the images at an appropriate resolution, use a special software to clean them. This involves erasing smudges and other elements on the image that has nothing to do with the record. There is a wide range of software for cleaning and enhancing scanned images for clarity and legibility.

6. Export the Scanned Images

Now that your scanned medical documents are ready, the next step is to export them in your desired format. The appropriate format depends on how you intend to use the images. If you will only view them on a screen, or on an encrypted device, low-resolution images optimized for web view are adequate. However, if you will need to print them out, the scanned images should be clear and legible.

Medical document scanning improves the storage and retrieval of documents at your clinic. It also results in higher accuracy and minimizes the risk of errors occurring during a medical procedure. The images should be of the appropriate quality to enhance legibility. For best results, leave the scanning process to professionals with requisite experience handling similar tasks.

Disclaimer: Please be advised that Dr. Venessa does not actively practice medicine. While her writing is thoroughly researched, she strongly encourages readers to seek consultation with a professional doctor on the medical issues discussed here. Dr. Venessa's posts are meant to be informational, but they should not be constituted as valid medical advice from a healthcare professional.